Atmospheric Sciences & Global Change Research Highlights

Estimates of Diesel Soot Pollution Will Help Arctic Environment

Soot Pollution in the Arctic Soot from diesel engines and oil-burning power plants pours into the atmosphere around the city of Murmansk, Russia during the winter season. Working to reduce soot emissions is a goal that will help clear the atmosphere, reduce health effects from air-borne pollution, and ease climate impacts on the Arctic. Understanding where soot emissions come from and how measures to reduce diesel engine soot emissions are working will guide next steps for researchers, air quality managers, and manufacturers. Photo courtesy of the authors. Enlarge Image.

Results: Engines
that burn diesel can spew a large amount of pollution containing soot
particles. These particles have an impact on health and climate in some of the
world's most sensitive regions. Researchers at Pacific Northwest National
Laboratory developed a detailed inventory of Russian diesel soot emissions in
cooperation with Russian partners.

"Our research found that even though on-road
vehicles consumed 73 percent of the diesel fuel in the country, they produced
only 42 percent of soot emissions," said Nazar Kholod, PNNL postdoctoral researcher working at PNNL's Joint Global Change Research Institute (JGCRI) in Maryland. "This research indicates that recent implementation
of emission-reduction standards for these vehicles is helping to reduce their
soot emissions."

The research concludes that better
understanding diesel soot emissions can help inform policy and minimize climate
impacts.

Why It Matters: Ever seen that puff of black smoke blasted from a diesel engine? It's
full of gritty soot. Burning diesel is a major source of soot emissions in many
regions. Soot emissions (also called black carbon) can have an outsized impact
on climate change, especially in the Arctic. The black particles are notorious
for soaking up sunlight and when blanketing a snowy white region like the Arctic,
warming the surface and melting the ice and snow. Black carbon is not only a
major climate pollutant, but is a concern for human health as well.

Russia contains
the majority of the Arctic lands within its borders and the region has an
important global climate role. Arctic sea ice keeps the polar region cool and
helps moderate the global climate by reflecting a large amount of the sun's energy
back into space. The loss of Arctic ice and snow means there is more dark ocean
and land surface soaking up sunlight energy, warming the region and contributing
to sea level rise around the globe.

The
results of this study can play an important role in helping scientists
understand how soot affects the global climate. They can also help in estimating
the health impacts of soot.

"There
are well-proven strategies and technologies to reduce diesel emissions," said Meredydd Evans, PNNL researcher and principal investigator
of a project to estimate black carbon in the Arctic. "Better understanding of emissions
may lead to policies that reduce the climate-warming effects of diesel. These examples from Russia provide
helpful information on how other countries may also seek to reduce emissions."

Methods: In this
study, researchers from PNNL's JGCRI and their collaborator from the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency performed an in-depth study of Russian diesel
use, driving patterns, and diesel equipment across their economy. The study
showed significantly lower emissions than previously estimated. The differences
were due to precise accounting methods and policy changes in Russia requiring
low-emission vehicles.PNNL
researchers used state-of-the-art inventory methods to estimate Russian
emissions. This involved collecting and comparing multiple sources of data on
Russian diesel consumption, vehicle registries, traffic volumes, and emission
controls. The scientists also looked at diesel use in industry, agriculture,
construction, and other sectors, developing detailed data on equipment and use
patterns. They processed the information using several inventory models, which
they adjusted for Russian conditions.

What's Next? The research team is working on a review of all of Russia's black
carbon emissions. This will provide a much clearer picture of Russian emissions
for climate models and for making decisions.

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In short...

In one sentence: PNNL calculated a detailed inventory of Russian diesel soot emissions and found that on-road diesel vehicles emitted 42 percent of all black carbon (soot) emissions from diesel sources in 2014 and off-road diesel engines contributed about 23 percent of all soot emissions sources.